The first time I saw one of Robert Irwin’s installations in person was at Chinati in Marfa, Texas, where for untitled (dawn to dusk), he re-imagined a former army hospital into the only permanent, freestanding piece he ever conceived as a total work of art. It was an interesting entry point to his work, partly because the location is so specific, but also because it was created less than ten years ago—quite late in the artist’s career. When the artist described the work to Texas Monthly, he said, “To be slightly poetic about it, I’m trying to grab a will-o’-the-wisp. If I grab it too hard, the thing’s laborious. If I don’t grab it hard enough, it doesn’t happen.”
Irwin, who died last October at the age of 95, centered his work around the variety of interactions between light and environments, focusing on the fundamental experience of human perception. His installations and sculptures functioned like lenses through which to view light—like the angular acrylic column in untitled (1970-71) or the diaphanous scrim of untitled (1971) in the collection of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis—rather than objects.
I returned to Irwin’s work recently when I dug out a copy of Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees (2009), the seminal profile of the artist by Lawrence Weschler, which I had tucked away in a box a few years ago when I moved abroad. Something about it was calling to me, and while it’s certainly a tome worth reading cover-to-cover, for some reason it has always been one of those books that I can crack open to any random page, and there is some nugget of wisdom that’ll stick with me for days.
Recently, I was particularly drawn to a brief chapter titled “The Desert,” referencing a watershed moment in Irwin’s career when he reflected on work he had been making, including a monumental piece at MoMA, and he described how his own research had gotten him into a “predicament.” He reflected:
It had been a long journey starting out from my more or less naive approach as a painter to now be arriving at a point where, to some degree, I had dismantled the whole thing: image, line, frame, focus, transportability. I’d dismantled the art endeavor, but in the process I’d dismantled myself. My questions had now become way in excess of any answers that I had, or even any possibilities. In fact, I arrived at this point with a real dilemma, and the dilemma was that all my questions now seemed external to my practice… It seemed to me that, if I continued doing what I was doing, I was simply never going to get to my questions.
Irwin’s solution, or the step he took to get to those questions, was to divest himself of his entire studio. He got rid of everything—the space, the materials, other artists’ work, everything. He didn’t have a concrete idea about what came next. He said, “I simply stopped being an artist in those senses. I just quit.”
What I find so fascinating about this risk is that it forced him out of his art practice and into an observation of daily experience. Perhaps it’s the sort of thing that happens naturally when we intentionally depart from the familiar. In his case, he got rid of anything tangible, and it totally unmoored him for a while. Then, over time, released from those earlier frameworks, Irwin gradually drifted into new understandings, starting with experiments in the desert, where he’d make marks in the landscape and consider his relationship with light, surroundings, and other people.
Sometimes a clean break is essential to understanding the kind of motivations that arise only from uncertainty—the very human desire to want to make sense of the world around us. I’ve heard it called a pivot, or taking a step back in order to take two forward. But I think it’s also good to look at moments of “giving up” as recognizing when a change is needed and intentionally making room for new things to develop.
I’d love your reading recommendations! Pop a comment in below if you have a favorite or current book worth checking out.
See you next week!
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Five exhibitions on view this week in London, Milwaukee, New York City, Oakland, and Sarzana
Fourteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Exhibitions
LONDON | UNIT LONDON
Worlds Beyond
This vibrant group exhibition at Unit London brings together a group of artists who explore abstraction, primarily in painting. You’ll find works by Alba Botines, Allison Reimus (pictured), Amy Hui Li, Betty Leung, Ce Jian, and Fu Site.
Runs through February 3
OAKLAND | PT.2 GALLERY
Squeak Carnwath
I’m making an exception to my usual focus on work made within the past couple of years for this great series of works on paper by Squeak Carnwath, which she made in the early 1980s. Merging recognizable imagery and text, the artist focuses on earth, fire, water, and air.
Runs through February 17
SARZANA | CARDELLI E FONTANA
Mirco Marchelli: Buoni offici
Mirco Marchelli’s mixed-media pieces derive elements from architecture, furnishings, and other found materials, and in Buoni offici at Cardelli e Fontana in Sarzana, Italy, the artist has composed an original score that emits from a cabinet at the entrance of the exhibition, accompanying viewers through the show.
Runs through February 17
NEW YORK CITY | HARPER’S
Sung Hwa Kim: Today’s Yesterday, Yesterday’s Tomorrow
A brief interview with Sung Hwa Kim was one of the earliest Young Space features when it launched online in earnest in 2017. It’s a joy to follow the artist’s work, which has evolved a lot since then, and this exhibition at Harper’s Chelsea really dials in the dreamy domestic interiors with portal-like vistas through windows and vessels.
Runs through February 17
MILWAUKEE | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
50 Paintings
I don’t include institutional shows too often because by their very nature, they don’t usually focus on emerging practices, however I love a Midwest connection, and I definitely love painting. 50 Paintings features works created within the last five years by 50 international artists, including Amy Sherald, Cinga Samson (pictured), GaHee Park, Nicole Eisenman, Cecily Brown, and so many more.
Runs through June 23
Artist Opportunities
Deadlines are coming up soon to apply for these grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.
CEC ArtsLink 2025 International Fellowships
Deadline: January 15 (to submit a letter of inquiry)
Fellowships take place online between March and April 2025, then in person in residencies in the U.S. between October and November 2025. Artists from a list of eligible countries whose practices seek to actively engage communities on issues related to the current climate emergency and human rights are encouraged to apply. CEC ArtsLink offers a stipend for the online residency and fully covers all the costs associated with the in person residency in the U.S.
Submission fee: none
Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize for Baltimore Artists
Deadline: January 15
This prize awards $30,000 to a visual artist or visual artist collaborators living and working in the Baltimore region. Approximately three finalists will be selected for the final review for the prizes, and their work will be exhibited in the Walters Art Museum.
Submission fee: none
The Luminary 2024 Residency Open Call
Deadline: January 15
The Luminary invites individuals, small collectives, and collaborations to apply to two cohorts for 2024. Residency Session 1 runs from March 27 to April 10, 2024, and Residency Session 2 runs from October 16 to 30, 2024. In addition to time and space, each resident receives a weekly stipend for their project and funded travel to The Luminary in St. Louis. This residency is largely self-directed and process-based. There is no expectation of a final product or outcome.
Submission fee: $15
Atlanta Center for Photography Emerging Artist Fellowship
Deadline: January 15
For the ACP Emerging Artist Fellowship, a jury will select one artist to complete and present an individual project of new work over an approximately four-month period. The artist will receive a 3-month solo exhibition at ACP Project Lab with an opening reception on May 30, 2024, mentorship and professional development opportunities, 1:1 mentorship from Sheila Pree Bright, and $750 artist fee, and additional production support.
Submission fee: $15
Centre Culturel Irlandais Residency Program
Deadline: January 16
Applicants who are Irish citizens or normally resident on the island of Ireland, with professional involvement in creative practice, are invited to apply to a number of month-long residencies in Paris.
Submission fee: none
Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation 2024 Individual Support Grants
Deadline: January 17
These grants are available to individual painters, sculptors, and printmakers who have been working in a mature phase of art for 20 years or more, regardless of commercial success. Last year, the Foundation awarded grants of $25,000 each to 20 artists.
Submission fee: none
2024 Volland Residencies
Deadline: January 19
About 100 miles west of Kansas City, Volland is located in one of the most picturesque valleys in the Flint Hills of Kansas. In 2024, Volland will offer 14 residencies across the spring, summer, and fall seasons. Artists are provided with housing and studio space, $500/$1,000 stipend for two/four week residents, respectively; local library and gym access; occasional group meals; free admission to Volland Foundation programming during the residency; and assistance with connections needed to aid a residency project.
Submission fee: $25
MFA Boston Open Call for The Artist Project
Deadline: January 19
The Artist Project is a collaboration between the MFA and twelve after-school community organizations in the Boston area. The artist and the children create a collaborative work of art inspired by the museum’s collection, after which the completed project is exhibited at the MFA. The selected artist is provided with a stipend of $25,000 and a budget of $5,000 for materials. Artists may be from the Boston area or elsewhere.
Submission fee: none
FilterPhoto’s Context 2024 Open Call
Deadline: January 20
All types of photographic work will be considered for this annual survey exhibition of contemporary photography, allowing for the widest understanding of current photography practices. Context 2024 runs March 22 to April 27. A juror’s choice award and an honorable mention will be awarded. The juror’s choice award includes a $500 cash prize.
Submission fee: $35 for up to five entries
International ARC x Alliance Française Botswana Residency Open Call
Deadline: January 21
The International ARC – Alliance Française Residency is open to women or omen-identifying artists of any African nationality working and living outside of Botswana. The recipient will benefit from a two-month artistic residency in Gaborone from July to August 2024, apartment accommodation and a studio office, studio visits with local artists and some trips. Artists receive funding to cover international transportation, a grant for living expenses, and a production grant.
Submission fee: none
Toronto Nuit Blanche Call for Proposals
Deadline: January 21
The City of Toronto is looking for artists to present art projects at Nuit Blanche Toronto on October 5, 2024. Selected projects will be funded up to $15,000 CAD and produced by the City of Toronto. Artists from anywhere my apply but must be present in Toronto for the event.
Submission fee: none
Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship
Deadline: January 22
Tennessee-based artists are invited to apply for this fellowship, which provides unrestricted grants of $5,000.
Submission fee: none
RBSA Print Prize 2024
Deadline: January 26
The RBSA Print Prize is a biennial exhibition celebrating all forms of print making, which supports artists from across the U.K. and further afield. First prize is £1,000; second prize is £500; and third prize and a student prize are both £250. The addiitonal Printmaking Today Prize comprises an editorial feature in Printmaking Today magazine.
Submission fee: £19-48 depending on number of entries, 50% discount for artists under 35
HUG Visionaries Twice-Monthly Grant
Deadline: Rolling
Each month, two creators receive $500 grants, alongside a homepage, newsletter, and social feature for the artist, which goes out to the HUG audience of 2M+.
Submission fee: none
See all opportunities
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You can also browse through listings in earlier digests in the archive, which are opened up to all subscribers after two weeks.
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